Mogadishu — Somalia’s Prime Minister’s Office has launched the second phase of a nationwide response to a worsening drought that has displaced communities and threatened livelihoods across the country.
The initiative was announced at a high-level meeting in Mogadishu, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, Kamal Dahir Guutale, and attended by key ministries and national agencies involved in humanitarian response.
Participants included the ministries of agriculture and irrigation, energy and water resources, livestock and rangelands, health and social welfare, as well as the National Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) and the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.
Officials reviewed the latest assessments on the impact of the drought, including acute water shortages, shrinking rivers, dried-up wells, population displacement and losses to livestock, which form the backbone of Somalia’s rural economy.
The meeting agreed on the need to intensify coordinated action using available resources, while mobilising support from Somali communities and international partners to mitigate the humanitarian fallout.
The discussions are expected to pave the way for an upcoming ministerial-level conference aimed at consolidating government efforts to respond to the drought and manage its growing humanitarian consequences.
